The present invention relates to an arrangement for hanging articles or for securing a receiving means for supporting and displaying articles thereon, wherein the articles may be, for example, goods for sale, items for commercial or private use, exhibition exhibits or decorative elements.
A supporting-bar structure is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,547. Running on a vertical wall are two vertical, spaced-apart rails with a grid arrangement of holes, where in each case one short rail element can be plugged into each rail, in two holes at the same vertical level. The two rail elements project into space per-pendicularly from the rear wall, and a crossbar is positioned over the rail elements. It is possible to hang directly on the crossbar, for example, clothes hangers and support bars which project further into space and, for their part, have articles hanging on them. This supporting-bar structure is indeed vertically adjustable, but otherwise cannot be varied to any great extent as a result of the necessary rails with the grid arrangements of holes, and additionally involves relatively high outlay.
Fittings which are intended for hanging goods and have horizontally arranged profile rails are also known, for example, from WO 91 14388 and DE 38 03 829 A1. Support bars can be pushed laterally into the profile rails, or engaged by tilting, by way of their attached endpieces. This design is very material-intensive and limits the design freedom to a vast extent as a result of the profile rails, which are to be positioned on the supporting rear wall and can be seen on the outside. The profile rails are not envisaged for providing individual supporting-bar porting-bar arrangements. Furthermore, additional lateral arresting means would be necessary in order to prevent the horizontal displacement of the latched-in support bars along the profile rails and thus to maintain an ordered appearance for the sales surface even with a lot of activity taking place round about.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,992 discloses a supporting-bar arrangement which, in part, reduces the disadvantages of long profile rails by it being possible to fix on a rear wall short rail elements which are cut to size as plug-in mounts and into which, in each case, one support bar can be pushed laterally with the plug-in plate arranged right at the front. This arrangement would also require lateral arresting means in order to prevent the support bar, which has only been pushed in, from sliding out accidentally. Moreover, the plug-in mounts can only be positioned on rear walls, and are thus visible as an unsightly sheet-metal part and therefore not particularly suitable, for example, for aesthetically pleasing shop designs.
EP 0 519 349 B1 discloses a further supporting-bar arrangement, comprising a plug-in mount, which can be inserted into a panel, and a support bar. Each plug-in mount can be fitted with an individual support bar. The plug-in mount can be inserted into a cutout in the panel, the outer edge of the plug-in mount being positioned on the border of the cutout. The plug-in mount is retained by a top nose, which projects into the panel, and a screw-connection to the rear wall, which is located behind the panel. The plug-in mount has a slot which is bounded by a profile shoulder at the bottom and an inwardly bent buffer edge at the top, the buffer edge leaving a gap open. The support bar comprises a bar element and a tail plate which is fixed to the a rear bar end and, at the top, has a doubly angled portion, the horizontal section of which is adjoined by a downwardly extending plate segment with a planar surface. In the latched-in state, the horizontal section of the angled portion is supported on the profile shoulder, while the upwardly projecting vertical section of the angled portion projects through the gap located behind the buffer edge, and the plate segment rests on the front side of the plug-in mount. If the support bar is to be disengaged, it is necessary for the support bar to be positioned obliquely in order for it to be possible for the vertical section of the tail plate to be drawn out of the gap; the latching-in operation proceeds analogously. Although this supporting bar arrangement better fulfils the aesthetic requirements, does not require any rail material and makes it possible to fit out an arrangement of plug-in mounts quickly, a series of disadvantages still remains. First of all, the plug-in mount can only be inserted into a cutout in the panel, but cannot be positioned on the panel or arranged on the rear side of the same. The greatest drawback is that the support bars can be disengaged very easily by being raised at the front, which may be brought about merely by them being knocked. Furthermore, the inner contour of the plug-in mounts and the doubly angled portion of the tail plates result in the plug-in mounts and tail plates involving relatively high outlay to produce.
EP 0 716 825 B1 relates to a supporting-bar arrangement with a housing-like plug-in mount with inner undercuts. The window-like plug-in opening, which serves for accommodating the plug-in plate of a support bar, is enclosed by a positioning flange. The following variants are envisaged for the installation of the plug-in mount: a) positioning on the supporting structure from the front; or b) positioning on the supporting structure from the rear; or c) insertion into the supporting structure. In the case of variant a), the plug-in mount, with its frame-like covering, is seated, as a cuboidal housing, in a raised manner on the front side of the supporting structure. For design reasons, this variant of the arrangement of the plug-in mount is only possible for certain applications since the plug-in mounts are clearly visible, look conspicuous and disrupt the even proportioning, for example, of a display wall with multiple fittings. In the case of variant c), the plug-in mount is inserted into the supporting structure, the frame-like positioning flange being positioned on the front side of the supporting structure and thus likewise being the dominant feature over a relatively large surface area. The variant b) requires additional work since, for the rear-side positioning of the plug-in mount, the through-passage through the supporting structure has to be cut very precisely because it can be seen from the front. Moreover, it is possible to see the cut edges in the through-passage.
Finally, the designs from DE 299 03 019 U1 and WO 99/20094 are also known, these providing merely for supporting arms to be fitted or plugged into a profile rail or a plug-in sleeve, respectively.
In summary, it should be stated that the hitherto known arrangements fulfil the practical requirements better and better. The object of the invention, however, is, by further developing the design, to render the visual appearance of the arrangement in the installed state even more discreet. Moreover, the intention is to extend the variability and design freedom in order for it to be possible to construct straightforward but also individual, complex structures. It has to be possible, with as little work as possible, during the installation for the plug-in mount to be inserted into a supporting structure, e.g. a rear wall, a panel or a rack element, and fixed.
The intention is for it to be possible for differently configured supports to be plugged straightforwardly into a plug-in mount, and the displacement within the plug-in mount or the changeover to another plug-in mount is to be just as straightforward. For more complex constructions, the intention is for it to be possible for a multiplicity of plug-in mounts to be positioned systematically in a plurality of planes which are horizontal, vertical and located spatially one behind the other. It is also intended for it to be possible for receiving means, such as shells or open boxes, to be installed on a plurality of supports. It is necessary for the individual plug-in supports to be arrested in a stable manner in the plug-in mounts without additional securing measures, even when the support, projecting into space, is inclined downward and subjected to relatively high loading. Plug-in mounts which have been inserted in a supporting structure but are not fitted with a support, must not adversely affect the aesthetic appearance.
The arrangement serves for hanging articles or for securing a receiving means. The arrangement comprises a plug-in mount, which can be inserted into a supporting structure, and a support, which can be plugged into the plug-in mount. The plug-in mount has a passage which extends between a front inlet and a rear boundary. The passage has, at the top, a bevel which slopes upward, in the direction of the inlet, and thus forms a top clearance. At the bottom, the passage has an inclination which slopes downward, in the direction of the boundary, and thus forms a bottom clearance. The passage also has, at the top, an undercut which is arranged upstream of the boundary in the direction of the inlet. A horizontally fitted profile rail or a housing for forms an alternative embodiment of the plug-in mount. The support has at least one tongue which can be plugged into the passage of the profile rail or of the housing and has an upwardly directed hook which is intended for engagement in the undercut. Alternatively, the support is in the form of a shelf, of which the rear border can be plugged into the passage of the profile rail.
Specific embodiments of the arrangement are described hereinbelow: a longitudinal groove is provided in the bottom of the passage of the profile rail, a preferably elastic extruded profile being seated in said longitudinal groove as a slipping-prevention means. The rear border of the plugged-in shelf-like support or the tongue of the support rests on the extruded profile by way of the underside in each case. The passage of the profile rail is enclosed by a top strut, a bottom strut and a base plate as the rear boundary. The top strut has the undercut, a bearing means, which is arranged upstream of the undercut in the direction of the inlet and, right at the front, the upwardly sloping bevel with the top clearance located therebeneath. The bottom strut has the inclination, with the bottom clearance located above, and a bearing means, which is arranged upstream in the direction of the inlet and has the longitudinal groove. The top and bottom struts open out into the base plate.
The top and the bottom struts extend approximately as far as the front side of a supporting structure attached to the profile rail. A tongue extension projects perpendicularly in each case from the top and bottom struts, and are intended for being accommodated in grooves which are provided in the edges of attached panels. The panels form the supporting structure. An upper and a lower supporting strut open out into the base plate from the top and bottom struts, respectively. A cavity is enclosed in each case between the top strut and the associated upper supporting strut and between the bottom strut and the associated lower supporting strut. The top and bottom struts run in a conically widening manner in the direction of the vertical base plate. Provided on both sides of the base plate are continuations which extend beyond the top and bottom struts, opening out into the base plate. These continuations each have a notch line which serves for locating purposes for screw holes which may optionally be provided, it being possible for these screw holes to be utilized for fastening the construction comprising the supporting structure with one or more attached profile rails directly or indirectly on a building part. The shelf-like support is a panel, e.g. made of wood, plastic, metal or glass, in which case the panel is preferably planar and may have additional attachments.
The passage of the plug-in mount in the form of a housing is enclosed by a top strut, a bottom strut, side flanks extending between the struts, and a base plate as the rear boundary. The top strut has the undercut, a bearing means, which is arranged upstream of the undercut in the direction of the inlet, and, right at the front, the upwardly sloping bevel with the top clearance located therebeneath. The bottom strut has the inclination, with the bottom clearance located above, and a bearing means, which is arranged upstream in the direction of the inlet. The top and the bottom struts, with the side flanks, form a sleeve element which, inserted into a through-passage opening of a supporting structure, extends approximately as far as the front side of the supporting structure. The housing has a positioning flange which is located downstream of the inlet and is intended for abutting against the rear side of the supporting structure.
The positioning flange has screw holes for fastening on the rear side of the supporting structure and, on its rear side, has ribs which serve for reinforcement and possibly accommodating a support. The positioning flange or the base plate, on its rear side, has a fastening element for rear-fastening purposes. Openings are provided on the front edge of the sleeve element, and a groove is provided in the passage, inside the front edge, for the latching attachment of a frame-like covering. The covering comprises, first of all, a rectangular frame which runs round a window-like through-passage which is congruent with the inlet. The frame is planar on its front side and, positioned on the front side of the supporting structure, is intended for covering over the front edge of the sleeve element. An extension which encloses the through-passage and comes to rest in the groove is provided on the rear side of the frame. Two pegs extend from the rear side of the frame and are intended for latching into the openings.
The tongue of the support, it being possible for said tongue to be plugged into the passage, has the upwardly directed hook at its free end, and a tongue stem extends from the hook to the support. A tapered portion which runs obliquely upward in the direction of the hook is provided at the bottom of the tongue stem. The tongue preferably consists of flat material of rectangular cross section. The support constitutes a supporting arm, and the tongue stem merges into a base end, which is directed toward the tongue, of a bar part which is the fundamental constituent part of the supporting arm.
The supporting structure is formed by a rear wall, a panel or a rack element. A multiplicity of plug-in mounts may be arranged systematically on the supporting structure. The bar parts of the supporting arms may be aligned in a rectilinear or inclined manner and serve for hanging articles directly or for securing a receiving means, such as a shelf, a basket or an open or closed box. It is possible to bridge between a plurality of supports which are arranged at the same vertical level or at different vertical levels. Plug-in mounts of the same or different types may also be arranged in planes located one behind the other. Plug-in mounts in a first supporting structure thus form the background for a second supporting structure, arranged in front, in which plug-in mounts are likewise inserted. The plug-in mount in the form of the profile rail is preferably an extruded profile and in the form of the housing is preferably a molding or casting. The covering is preferably a plastic injection molding of any desired color. An elastic polymer material is a particular possibility for the extruded profile for the slipping-prevention means.
The arrangement according to the invention straightforwardly allows a support-designed as a supporting arm or in the form of a shelfxe2x80x94to be plugged into the plug-in mount provided and to be removed from the same. Both the profile rail and the housing, inserted from the rear side of the supporting structure, as the alternative plug-in mount, which is covered by a frame-like covering from the front side, allow very discreet installation. The arrangement is suitable as a fitting for a single hanging means right up to the construction of complex shop fittings on a plurality of planes located one above the other and one behind the other, and allows individual design and variable utilization. The rotationally fixed, play-free seating of an individual supporting arm plugged into the plug-in mount is also particularly advantageous.